Review by Crab_user -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
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Review by Crab_user -- Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
[Following is a volunteer review of "Strong Heart" by Charlie Sheldon.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Author Charlie Sheldon has found what appears to be a most intriguing blend of modern and classical fiction with his story Strong Heart. Set in the modern-day Olympic Peninsula, Sheldon relates the story of a grandfather Tom who, while settling his personal relationship with his long-since dead great-grandfather, must build an entirely new relationship with a teenage granddaughter he has never met or known about.
As Tom tries to form a bond with Sarah, he comes to find she is more than he first thought. The lives of everyone around Sarah soon comes to change, but nowhere near as much as the change in Sarah herself. Indeed, Sarah herself finds that she was more powerful than she once believed and finds the power to change her own fate, along with the fate of Tom, their friends, and the Olympic Peninsula.
Strong Heart captures the attention quickly with its focus on the strong characters around Tom and Sarah and its attention to the details about them, their lives, and the lives of their friends. As each person has a chance to meet and know Sarah they each discover something new about the young girl that appears in Tom’s life. But the people in the story aren’t the only feature that captures the mind’s eye: the Olympic Peninsula is itself a powerful piece of the story.
The scenery described by Sheldon is beautiful, forcing itself off the page and into the imagination as it is read. The imagery used, not only for the scenery but for each character as well, reads easily and powerfully. Every scene is clear, and nothing escapes the notice of the reader. This ease of reading serves intensify the feelings portrayed by each character, making every challenge and trial the reader’s own.
I highly recommend Strong Heart and give it a 4 out of 4. Sheldon’s writing fooled me at first, and I thought that I may enjoy the book, but the way he changes the narrative part way through completely blindsided me. Sarah’s heritage became much more important than hinted at in the beginning, and the events that occur around her are fascinating, even for a fictional story. After the first few chapters, the book became not only an enjoyable read, but a compelling one, even if it ended too early for me. Anyone who enjoys a good novel will absolutely love this and might be interested in the sequel as well.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
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Author Charlie Sheldon has found what appears to be a most intriguing blend of modern and classical fiction with his story Strong Heart. Set in the modern-day Olympic Peninsula, Sheldon relates the story of a grandfather Tom who, while settling his personal relationship with his long-since dead great-grandfather, must build an entirely new relationship with a teenage granddaughter he has never met or known about.
As Tom tries to form a bond with Sarah, he comes to find she is more than he first thought. The lives of everyone around Sarah soon comes to change, but nowhere near as much as the change in Sarah herself. Indeed, Sarah herself finds that she was more powerful than she once believed and finds the power to change her own fate, along with the fate of Tom, their friends, and the Olympic Peninsula.
Strong Heart captures the attention quickly with its focus on the strong characters around Tom and Sarah and its attention to the details about them, their lives, and the lives of their friends. As each person has a chance to meet and know Sarah they each discover something new about the young girl that appears in Tom’s life. But the people in the story aren’t the only feature that captures the mind’s eye: the Olympic Peninsula is itself a powerful piece of the story.
The scenery described by Sheldon is beautiful, forcing itself off the page and into the imagination as it is read. The imagery used, not only for the scenery but for each character as well, reads easily and powerfully. Every scene is clear, and nothing escapes the notice of the reader. This ease of reading serves intensify the feelings portrayed by each character, making every challenge and trial the reader’s own.
I highly recommend Strong Heart and give it a 4 out of 4. Sheldon’s writing fooled me at first, and I thought that I may enjoy the book, but the way he changes the narrative part way through completely blindsided me. Sarah’s heritage became much more important than hinted at in the beginning, and the events that occur around her are fascinating, even for a fictional story. After the first few chapters, the book became not only an enjoyable read, but a compelling one, even if it ended too early for me. Anyone who enjoys a good novel will absolutely love this and might be interested in the sequel as well.
******
Strong Heart
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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